That was much more involving, less cold and sterile than the first movie, and it looks like the director managed to overcome his fascination for the material, setting, and budget — but then, I watched Elizabeth ten years ago, and had to sit through it in a theater instead of multitasking on Facebook, so it’s hard to compare accurately. (My God, can you believe there was no Facebook, nor Facebook-like, at the time?)

In any case, Cate Blanchett is as good, and as character-perfect, as ever, and Clive Owen looks and sounds great in his bizarro facial hair; only the war scenes were pretty much a failure. Oh, and I love the Queen’s chambers — ultimate loft.